As mentioned previously, to get back in the swing of sewing, we started a group sew-along project. I drafted a simple skirt pattern with elastic casing pattern (I’m working on a PDF version of the skirt pattern, so watch the Downloads page!), wrote instructions on how to sew the skirt, sent a shopping list to the club members who wished to take part in the project and finally, last week Thursday, it was time to start cutting our fabric to make our skirts!

My cat Tijger, claiming his right to sleep on my pattern... tsk!

I made the pattern in 3 sizes. Perfect fit is not really an issue when it comes to a wide skirt with elastic waist band, but I still wanted to offer enough variation to give the girls a chance to have a skirt that is neither gigantically big, nor ridiculously small. It was nice to see each other’s fabric, comparing weight and thickness, discussing the impact these differences make on sewing. Let’s get those scissors out, shall we?

After all the cutting, I quickly went through the instructions, trying to iron out any difficult terms or techniques. It’s always difficult to put yourself in a beginner’s shoes when writing up instructions, as the most obvious things to a more experienced sewing addict are perhaps totally unknown to the beginner. It’s also a great exercise to go back to basics and rehearse basic techniques.

The first ever meeting of the BurdaStyle Sewing Club of Leiden took place on February 2nd. In total, 6 sewing enthusiasts braved the bitter cold and attended the meeting – a very good start! I opened the meeting with a short introduction of BurdaStyle and the BurdaStyle Sewing Clubs, explaining the concepts of open-source sewing and open exchange of ideas and knowledge. To inspire them for their next sewing project, I distributed hand-outs with examples of free patterns that can be downloaded from the BurdaStyle website.

As a way of introducing themselves, attendees were invited to bring an item they made. It was very interesting to hear about the members’ experience with sewing, which ranged from curtains to hand embroidery. We form a rather eclectic group with a broad range of backgrounds but we have one thing in common: we ♥ sewing.

Because some of us were a bit rusty and need some help to get in the swing of sewing, we decided that we would start with a sew-along project, a simple circle skirt. I agreed to lead the project and I will provide the team members with a pattern and simple instructions on how to sew the skirt. At our next meeting, we will cut our fabrics and go through the instructions together, explaining the new techniques and maybe even do a small demonstration. Then it will be up to the members to sew their skirts and show it off at an upcoming meeting!

I was really pleased with the first meeting and it was great to meet everyone. I think this little club will get somewhere!

Here’s another one of the special projects I’ve been working on lately: creating an English-speaking club in my area! I opted to found the club under the BurdaStyle Sewing Clubs banner as it offers not only visibility, but also credibility and a whole array of resources, thanks to the thriving online community that is BurdaStyle.

The Leiden BurdaStyle Sewing Club is for anyone who loves sewing and making their own creations, whether you are a beginner or want to hone specific skills. The emphasis will be on creating stylish clothes, and so we use the resources of the BurdaStyle website and magazines for patterns, ideas, themes and communication. We will meet twice monthly, in a friendly environment to chat, sew, discuss projects and share skills. We hope to bring in professionals sometimes to help with special issues, and welcome contributions from our members.

If you are living in the Leiden area in the Netherlands and would like to join our club, you can drop me a note using the contact form. You can also find us on Facebook. Our first meeting will be held on February 2nd, at 8 p.m. I hope to see you there!